Houston, Texas - Former Houston Cougar football standout and current New England Patriots right tackle Sebastian Vollmer will compete in this weekend's Super Bowl.
Vollmer has been out for the last seven games with foot and back injuries, but should be healthy enough to return for this Sunday's game against the New York Giants.
Vollmer has been one of the league's top tackles when healthy over his first three NFL seasons and was drafted in the Second Round (No. 58 overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Patriots after a standout career at UH.
"He has got it all -- gifted athlete, very tough, unbelievable strength, smart guy," Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia told the Associated Press. "He has worked very hard and is still working hard."
And Vollmer is ready to be back in the lineup.
"It's hard," Vollmer said. "You want to be part of the team. You are doing very different things. You just want to get back and help the team out.
"I wish I could have done more but I will do my best on Sunday."
Vollmer, a native of Germany, began his career at Houston as a tight end and moved to the offensive line where he earned First Team All-Conference USA honors as a senior.